The Witchwood

"This poor town has seen its share of trials. Now we face a new force, sinuous and vile.

Is something wicked twisting trees and turning them to ill? Some diabolic expertise strives to break our will.

Do my eyes play tricks on me, will monsters seal our doom? What were those things? What did I see hiding in this gloom?

We're turned around and taunted, but moonlight is our friend.

The way ahead is haunted, our hackles stand on end!

We'll make our stand right here, our choice is crystal clear! We are the beasts the monsters fear!"

The Witchwood is Hearthstone's upcoming eighth expansion. Featuring 135 new collectible cards, and the new Druid alternate hero Lunara, the expansion is set for release on April 12, 2018.

The expansion introduces three new keywords: Start of Game, Echo, which allows a card to be played multiple times on the same turn, and Rush, which acts like Charge but doesn't allow the minion to attack the enemy hero the turn it is played. It also adds a new game mode called Monster Hunt, a single-player mode akin to Dungeon Run with four exclusive playable classes.

As the first expansion of 2018, the release of The Witchwood will end the previous Standard year, the Year of the Mammoth, and start the new one, Year of the Raven.

How to get

The Witchwood cards are available through the following options:

• The Witchwood card packs can be purchased through the Shop, with the usual prices and purchasing options.
• The Witchwood cards can be crafted for the usual amounts of Arcane Dust.
• For as long as The Witchwood is the latest expansion, the guaranteed card pack from each Arena run will be from the expansion. Once the next expansion comes out, second card packs will have a chance to be The Witchwood packs.
• The Highest Rank Bonus chest has a chance to award golden The Witchwood cards.

Pre-order

• Prior to the expansion's release, players are able to pre-order a bundle of 70 The Witchwood packs for $49.99 USD/€49,99 EUR/£44.99 GBP/$64.99 AUD or equivalent.
• The pre-order bundle comes with a unique card back (see below) and 20 additional The Witchwood packs.

Cards

The set contains 135 collectible cards in total.

Each class will receive two Legendary minion cards.

Neutral

Common (7 cards)

Rare (4 cards)

Epic (7 cards)

Legendary (5 cards)

Uncollectible

Class cards

Druid

Hunter

Uncollectible

Mage

Paladin

Priest

Rogue

Shaman

Uncollectible

Warlock

Warrior

Themes

Echo

Shifting shapes and ephemeral phantasms manifest out of the fog—the curse on the Witchwood has unsettling effects on both material beings and spells alike. Some will Echo, reproducing themselves.

The wily can channel this spectral side effect to their advantage: cards with Echo can be played again and again on the same turn—as long as you have the mana to pay the price.

Cards with Echo can be played multiple times on the same turn.

• Cheap Shot
• Face Collector
• Glinda Crowskin
• Hunting Mastiff
• Mistwraith
• Phantom Militia
• Pick Pocket
• Sound the Bells!
• Warpath

Rush

The power emanating from the Witchwood imbues feral vigor into those who are in tune with their predatory instincts, urging them to unnatural aggression and startling speed.

Minions with the new Rush keyword can attack opposing minions—but not Heroes—on the same turn they are played. Rush offers the immediate gratification of Charge without its game-ending potential, so you’ll encounter more minions that hit the ground running with this new keyword.

Minions with Rush can attack the same turn they are played, but are not allowed to attack heroes. While not as strong as Charge, they make up for it in other areas; mainly stats.

• Countess Ashmore
• Cursed Castaway
• Darius Crowley
• Gilnean Royal Guard
• Houndmaster Shaw
• Hunting Mastiff
• Militia Commander
• Muck Hunter
• Redband Wasp
• Scaleworm
• Swift Messenger
• Town Crier
• Woodcutter's Axe

Odd and even

The Witchwood’s growing influence drives even the redoubtable citizens of Gilneas to fearful flights of fancy. Uneasy townsfolk share bizarre stories of black cats with knowing eyes, and giant moths that peer into windows during the dead of night. Stranger still, they all seem to share the same horrid dream, night after night: a feeling of unspeakable dread as they watch huge, spectral fangs devour the moon.

Striking back against the fear that grips the city requires iron discipline and sacrifice. Superstition must be cast aside in favor of strict order. Those with the will to banish this evil must find it in them to do what must be done—even when close to the limits of their strength.

Some cards activate a powerful effect as long as your deck contains only odd- or even-cost cards.

Odd

• Baku the Mooneater
• Black Cat
• Glitter Moth
• Gloom Stag

Even

• Genn Greymane
• Murkspark Eel

Worgen

The cursed denizens of the Witchwood will not find the people of Gilneas to be easy prey. Even the city’s humblest citizen hides a beastly secret: they are Worgen, capable of assuming the form of a hulking, ferocious wolf-beast when threatened.

Each turn they are in your hand, these cards swap their attack and health. Spring them on an opponent when their form best matches your desired function.

When Gilneas was hit with the curse of the worgen, many of the kingdom's human inhabitants were transformed into monstrous beasts, but have since then gained the ability to switch between the two forms.

• Bellringer Sentry
• Darius Crowley
• Genn Greymane
• Muck Hunter
• Town Crier
• Toxmonger
• Worgen Abomination

Some cards alternate between forms each turn while in your hand and change their stats to represent this ability.

• Duskhaven Hunter
• Gilnean Royal Guard
• Pumpkin Peasant
• Spellshifter
• Swift Messenger

Battlefield

The expansion came with a new battlefield. A partial shot of the new board is shown below.

Card backs

A special card back was available as part of the expansion's pre-order bundle. The card back for Ranked play Season 48 is related, due to the end of the Year of the Mammoth that was on the same day of the expansion's release, while Season 49's card back is related to the expansion's theme.

In a Dark Wood File:Card back-In a Dark Wood.png Pre-ordering 50 (+20) The Witchwood card packs The forest was eerily quiet. Aside from the howls. And the screaming.

Year of the Mammoth File:Card back-Year of the Mammoth.png Achieving 5 Ranked wins in Season 48 (March 2018) It was a big year. Massive. Sure, things got a little wooly, but that's irrelephant.

Raise the Roof File:Card back-Raise the Roof.png Achieving 5 Ranked wins in Season 49 (April 2018)

Lore

In World of Warcraft

Light's Dawn Cathedral overlooking Gilneas City in World of Warcraft.

Gilneas

This section uses content from Wowpedia.

The kingdom of Gilneas (or the Gilnean kingdom), pronounced Gil-NEIGH-uhs,[gɪlˈniːəs] is one of the seven human kingdoms located in the peninsula of Gilneas and situated south-west of Silverpine Forest on the continent of Lordaeron. It is ruled by Genn Greymane of the House of Greymane. With the events of the Cataclysm, Gilneas has rejoined the Alliance.

Gilneas is a large peninsula that juts into the sea south of western Lordaeron. Silverpine Forest lies to the north-east and Kul Tiras awaits across the sea to the south. The kingdom was founded following the splitting of Arathor and besides the peninsula, the kingdom also included the island of Zul'Dare, and formerly held lands in southern Silverpine Forest including Pyrewood Village and Ambermill. The southwestern reaches of Hillsbrad Foothills in the area around Azurelode Mine were also part of Gilneas.

Its king Genn Greymane never ardently supported the Alliance of Lordaeron in the Second War. Thus, after the war, he constructed the Greymane Wall: a massive barrier spanning the entire northern border. The enormous wall barricaded Gilneas from the rest of Lordaeron for around two decades.

It was later discovered that the 'worgen curse' has swept mercilessly across the nation, eventually turning nearly all of its inhabitants into savage beasts. Escalating tensions among the survivors escalated into bloody civil war that all but wrecked the nation. Following the Cataclysm and an invasion by the Forsaken, some of these Gilnean worgen have regained their free will. After Gilneas fell to enemy hands, Gilneas rejoined the Alliance.

Worgen

This section uses content from Wowpedia.

Worgen [ˈwɔɹgɛn] are large, lupine humanoids reminiscent of werewolves that walk upright, but lope on all fours to run. They primarily inhabit forests and are skilled hunters. Being bitten by or drinking the blood of worgen causes humans and night elves to be transformed into one. After the transformation, worgen are overcome by rage and guilt, gradually losing all vestiges of their former lives and turning feral. By controlling their emotions, worgen may resist being overcome by their feral instincts.

Originally inadvertently created as a result of night elf druids assuming a Pack Form that embraced the fury of the wolf Ancient Goldrinn during the War of the Satyr, they were sealed within the Emerald Dream after it was discovered they were spreading their beastly form through what would become known as the worgen curse. Centuries later, they were unleashed once more by the human Archmage Arugal to fight the undead Scourge. Eventually the curse found its way to Gilneas, where many of its inhabitants were transformed into worgen, including King Genn Greymane. After being taught how to control their inner beast by the night elves, many worgen are now members of the Alliance.

In Hearthstone

The city of Gilneas once lived in uneasy peace with the sprawling, ancient forest that looms beyond its walls. Though the wilderness was grim and forbidding, the citizens of Gilneas—being no ordinary folks—roved and hunted there without fear.

That was before a darkness began to fester in the heart of the forest. . . . Before the wicked witch Hagatha cast a dire curse!

A sunless gloom now cloaks winding trails, and gnarled branches claw hungrily at passersby. Terrified travelers speak of misshapen shadows flickering in an unearthly mist. In the witching hours, eerie figures have even been seen to stalk the narrow alleys and foggy, cobble-stoned streets of the city itself.

Foolhardy travelers who dare venture beyond the city walls after nightfall disappear into the wilderness, never to return. The Witchwood is safe for none to tread!

The Witchwood

The Blackwald in World of Warcraft.

The titular Witchwood featured in the expansion was once called the Blackwald.

This section uses content from Wowpedia.

The Blackwald is a forest in southern Gilneas, located south of Gilneas City and north of the village of Stormglen. The Blackwald was the home of the Druids of the Scythe, who eventually became the first worgen. Tal'doren - a tree identical to the one where the original worgen were imprisoned in the Emerald Dream - is in the forest's center. The Blackwald is full of Howling Banshees, Sylvanas' scouts looking for Tal'doren.

However, ever since the witch Hagatha took up residence in the forest, she has used her magic to twist the forest, awakening and empowering the trees and beasts of the woods. The Blackwald has now become very dangerous, and the Gilneans have taken to calling it "The Witchwood".

Official site

Hush, brave heroes, and take heed; you tread on dangerous ground. See how the light dims all around, and moving shadows creep? The Witchwood calls, but I implore: do not its treasures seek! Stay where it’s safe, pull up a chair, let’s play another round! I see, your minds are quite made up; please hear me importune: Keep your decks close, and your wits sharp…

lest the Witchwood be your doom!

History

Development

The expansion that later became The Witchwood was originally known as Murder on the Gilnean Express. During early development, the Hearthstone team experimented with various new mechanics and keywords, such as "Investigate", which would allow the player to create a "murderer" minion through several Discovers to determine their stats and abilities. Another mechanic was "Mysteries"; this allowed the player to Discover a card, after which the same Discover options were presented to the opposing player. If the opponent correctly guessed which card the first player had picked, they would also receive a copy of it. Finally, to capture the "spooky vibe" of the fateful train ride, Blizzard experimented with "Ghostly", a keyword that would cause a card to discard itself from the player's hand at the end of the turn if not played. As Blizzard iterated on Ghostly, they found that the most fun version of the ability was the cards that added Ghostly duplicates of themselves to the player's hand. Over the following months, the setting of the expansion evolved from a murder investigation on a train ride to a haunted forest, and Murder on the Gilnean Express became The Witchwood. Ghostly became more and more the perfect fit for the flavor of the set and eventually became Echo, one of the two new keywords introduced in the final version of the expansion.

Teasers and announcement

A sneak peek at the content released during the Year of the Raven.

The Witchwood was first teased on February 27th, 2018, when Blizzard announced the changes and new content planned for the Year of the Raven, the third year of standard format. The announcement blog post and accompanying video included a teaser image for the planned three expansions of the year.

Similar to Journey to Un'Goro, the official announcement of the expansion was preceded by several teasers posted on Twitter. On March 3rd, the official Latin American Hearthstone Twitter account posted an image featuring characters from the card sets released during the Year of the Mammoth as well as earlier expansions, apparently searching for clues about the upcoming expansion in a foreboding forest.

On March 6th, Lead Mission Designer Dave Kosak tweeted that he was "goin' camping" to look for the next Hearthstone expansion, noting that "Nothing gets the @playhearthstone creative juices flowing like some time outdoors." Kosak did not return for several days thereafter, and after some back-and-forth between various Hearthstone developers on Twitter and Reddit, Game Director Ben Brode and Lead Artist Ben Thompson headed out to look for him, asking the playerbase to get in touch with Yong Woo if they weren't back by Sunday night.

On March 12th, The Witchwood was officially announced in a special reveal video featuring Brode and Thompson reuniting with Kosak and discovering the details of the expansion in the dark woods outside Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California. The video is presented in the style of "found footage" horror films such as The Blair Witch Project.

Card reveals

Card reveals for The Witchwood began with a special card reveal livestream featuring Game Designer Peter Whalen and Dan "Frodan" Chou on March 26. The day following the livestream, other cards from the expansion began being revealed one at a time through selected websites and streamers. The final card reveal livestream featuring Game Director Ben Brode and Sean "Day[9]" Plott is set to take place on April 9.

• 

  Card reveal schedule for March 26 through April 1.

• 

  Card reveal schedule for April 2 through April 8.

Trivia

• "The Witchwood" is also the name of a harpy-infested forest in Highmountain in World of Warcraft: Legion, but this Witchwood does not appear to have any connection to Hearthstone's The Witchwood.
• The lyrics of the song featured in the expansion's trailer were co-written by Andrew Robinson and Christie Golden.

External links

• Official site - The Witchwood

Blogs

• Face The Witchwood April 12 (2018-04-05)
• The Witchwood's Newest Keywords (2018-04-04)
• Hearthside Chat with Peter Whalen: Echo (2018-03-22)
• The Witchwood Card Reveal Schedule (2018-03-21)
• New Year of the Raven Celebration (2018-03-21)
• Hearthside Chat with Dean Ayala: Even & Odd (2018-03-15)
• Be Ready to Brave The Witchwood (2018-03-12)